heat issues, or why I am not fond of electric stoves

I completed my first extract beer kit(though it is still fermenting). I found that my electric stove could not even approach boilovers. I ended up setting my stock pot on two burners both set to "Hi" It seemed to have boiled, though I didn't think it was much of a boil. I checked the temperature or the wort and it was 220ish F. I also checked the hydrometer at the end and I had the correct reading according to the recipe kit.

I suppose I'm wondering if I do another extract kit and there is more stuff in my stock pot is it even going to get to a boiling temperature? I've heard some people use Turkey fryers, and I wouldn't mind switching over to mini-mash/partial-mash soon so something like that might be the way to go.

What would be a good option so I don't have to rely on this awful electric stove?

You've got it. Propane, baby! Electric stoves suck, mostly. Turkey fryers are cheap and work great for lots of people. If you're going to start doing full boils, though, remember that you've got to be able to cool the wort down quickly (ice baths won't cut it) - you'll need an immersion chiller or something else to do that.

My crappy little apartment stove-top couldn't boil 12L (about 3 gallons) so I went and got a turkey fryer and never looked back. As the_bird mentioned though you WILL need a chiller to do full boils. Invest in or build an immersion chiller before you get the burner (or at least before you use it).

If you had to check the temperature to see if it was boiling, it wasn't boiling like it should have been. You are looking for a full rolling boil, not a barely-bubbling wimpy boil.

And yeah, turkey fryers rock. Not only do they let you do full boils and reach a boil much faster than most stoves, but you also get to brew outside.

If you got 220f than you thermometer isn't reading correctly IMO.
I could be wrong, but I thought wort boiled at or below 212F. I know water boils at 212f at sea level.

Have you tried using two pots to split the boil between. The two should get to boiling easier this way.

my wort usually begins boiling at about 205 F. water is 212 F.

i've had pretty good luck with my stove. my old apartment was teh suck. it took forever to get 3 gallons boiling.

Are there any btu ratings I should keep in mind with regards to turkey fryers?

unless you plan to go to 10 gallon batches, any turkey fryer will have enough btu output from what i've seen.

most turkey fryers start at 15,000btu and work up. most gas ranges barely hit 8,000btus

its more important to find a burner with a flat top so it can accomodate any diameter brew pot or hot liquid tank.

I was working off of a 10K BTU butane burner this weekend, and it wasn't even close to being up to the job of keeping 3 gal at a boil. If turkey fryers start at 15K, I'd probably keep looking; I know a number of them are 55K. Personally, if I'm gonna buy a burner, it's only going to happen once; so I'm looking at the 185K burners. No matter where I go with this in the future, that should cover me.

I haven't seen any propane burners with less than 50K BTU in any of the turkey fryer kits available around here. I know mine is 55K and it does a fantastic job on 23L batches.

You asked the question at the perfect time, gpogo! Now's the time of year when all the big box retailers stock massive piles of inexpensive turkey fryers. This time last year, I was like you...brewing on the electric range. Then I was walking through WalMart and saw Turkey Fryer kits for $40! I bought two. 55k btu, and it comes it a dial thermometer (not very accurate, but fine for sparge water, etc.) and a 30-qt aluminum kettle. Deal of the century, in my case...I've used those things dozens of times and nary a problem (knock on wood). I'd recommend visiting your local WalMart, Home Depot, Lowes and Target, and seeing what they have.

There's a $45 Bayou Classic "Patio Stove" at Home Depot that I'd highly recommend. They claim 150k BTUs, and it works like a mofo - very quickly brings to a boil, runs clean, and easy to adjust the flame. You'll still need a big pot or keggle, though.

Lots of people swear by turkey fryers, though; about the same price, but usually including a cheap (but usable) pot, and they USUALLY throw off 55kBTUs - plenty for a 5-gallon batch.

I look for that damn thing every time I'm at HD, and I've never seen it

It's online, free shipping if you spend $49.

Do you have any issues with the flame blowing out at full blast? that burner was designed for 10 PSI, and that you you linked comes with a 15 PSI regulator. The 20 PSI regulators hooked up to that burner are supposed to cause problems.

I'm glad I've had good luck with my electric stove - it can boil 7 gallons. I much prefer the convenience of being indoors, but if you don't mind being outside a propane burner is the way to go.

the_bird said:

It's online, free shipping if you spend $49.

Click to expand...

I picked up one similar to this at Wal-Mart last week for $49 and it came with a 28 litre al pot and surprisingly an accurate dial thermometer. I bought it to replace the one I had with the burnt supply hose. I figure the old one will eventually make it's way onto a brewstand.

boo boo said:

I picked up one similar to this at Wal-Mart last week for $49 and it came with a 28 litre al pot and surprisingly an accurate dial thermometer. I bought it to replace the one I had with the burnt supply hose. I figure the old one will eventually make it's way onto a brewstand.

Click to expand...

Did yours come with the 10 PSI or the 15 PSI regulator? The one that the_bird linked is the first and only mention I've seen of the SQ-14 with a 15 PSI regulator, every where else I've seen says it comes with a 10 PSI.

the_bird said:

It's online, free shipping if you spend $49.

Click to expand...

they got this one for $5 more with a pot and thermometer
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...03+90401+500439&marketID=401&locStoreNum=8125

and just the cooker for $30
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100056313

gpogo said:

I completed my first extract beer kit(though it is still fermenting). I found that my electric stove could not even approach boilovers. I ended up setting my stock pot on two burners both set to "Hi" It seemed to have boiled, though I didn't think it was much of a boil.

Click to expand...

I had this same exact problem. Took almost 2 hours for mine to achieve 212F. The next day I ordered a turkey fryer, and I'm not looking back. Although I wish I had thought about Thanksgiving and all the local places stocking them cheap, d'oh!

I'm going to have to agree with Buford. Turning on two burners and the oven produce a great boil. Although I love grilling outside (even in the winter, yay Pittsburgh tailgating) I have this gripping fear that i'm going to get a huge bug that dive bombs straight into the wort!

BigNick73 said:

they got this one for $5 more with a pot and thermometer
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...03+90401+500439&marketID=401&locStoreNum=8125

Click to expand...

10 PSI regulator = 55K BTU

BigNick73 said:

and just the cooker for $30
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100056313

Click to expand...

Hmm, that's the 185K version, too. I think I may have found my new burner! Thanks!
Just have to make sure I can turn it down far enough to work for 3 gal boils for now.

OblivionsGate said:

I'm going to have to agree with Buford. Turning on two burners and the oven produce a great boil. Although I love grilling outside (even in the winter, yay Pittsburgh tailgating) I have this gripping fear that i'm going to get a huge bug that dive bombs straight into the wort!

Click to expand...

Meh, as long as you're still boiling, it'll be sanitized! Bugs = protein = increased head retention.